OP
calling out the BP/w-philes
- Thread starter Crush
- Start date
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I fly. Carry-on limits just aren't what they used to be.
I have traveled a similar distance with my travel BC. Customs officers are often impressed that I choose to rent lead locally rather than hauling stainless steel with me.
I have an AL backplate that I sometimes travel with. My last trip to the Caribbean I took the AL plate and got a 4lb weight when renting tanks that I threaded onto my right hand waist strap. Travel is not an issue as far as I'm concerned.
OP
Crush
Contributor
I hear you and understand. But I have read so many posts by BP/W-philes that state that with a (SS) BP/W "your weight is precisely where it should be - on your back" that I would have thought that anything which didn't weight as much as SS would be disowned by the BP/W community for being too light and, as a result, the weight would not be precisely where it belonged.
I look forward to seeing myself burned in effigy tomorrow morning.
Have a good one, Cave Diver and others.
Well, ideally a steel backplate would be preferable for my doing salt water, single AL tank diving. I *can* dive with an AL plate, a single AL tank and no weight and still hold safety stops. My main reason for adding a bit of weight was because I was diving with a fairly new diver and I wanted a bit of extra weight if I ended up having to help them with buoyancy issues.
Putting a small amount of weight on my right hip all the way back against the plate didn't adversely affect my trim or balance. If I was someone that needed considerable more weight, then I would have taken the steel plate and added weight as needed from there.
Another option is to get a soft weight like an ankle weight or something and secure it into the V channel of the BPW.
While the original post does strike of trollishness, I have to admit, I agree.
Good trim is possible in almost any configuration of gear, and equipment shouldn't be used to solve skills problems.
A lot of what goes on on SB strikes me as amusing. There seem to be a LOT of users here who dispense "technical" advice, even though in practice, I don't see a ton of people diving in technical configurations. I think technical gear configurations are used by people of a certain mindset, and I think forums are used by people of a certain mindset, and I think there is considerable overlap between those mindsets.
I reccomend that people buy back inflate bouyancy systems, but I don't tell them what to buy, and I try to avoid pushing my opinions on people.
Another issue entirely is the BS reasons people give for using a BP/W. I like aluminum plates, and if I was traveling, would use kydex or whatnot for even lighter rigs. What do I like about BP/W?
1. I need a hard plate to haul around tanks that weigh over 120# when doubled up.
2. I like that I can change webbing when it gets old. Having torn up BC's before, it's nice to know $10 of webbing=brand new system.
3. I like that I can easily move my D rings around to wherever I want them, and add as many as I want or as few as I want.
4. It's nice to have one backplate that fits me perfectly, that I can use with any of four different wings I own.
5. back inflate systems make good trim a breeze compared to "poodle jacket" BC's, but this is not inherent only to BP/W systems.
That stuff about putting weight on your back instead of your belt...mmm, if you want...but it's not for me. I prefer to put weight in my tanks (by using big steel tanks), because travel is not an issue (weight limits with BP) then, and the system is more flexible. an SS backplate with huge steel doubles=way overweighted. With a light plate, I can easily add weight on a belt if need be, or leave it off if not.
In short, I cannot find very many reasons to NOT use a BP/W. They don't do anything worse than a poodle jacket, except when you are on the surface. This is diving, not bobbing, so surface performance is basically meaningless imho. A diver in the ocean should carry a lift bag and/or huge SMB so they can use those to help change the way they float if they really care. Therefore, I do reccomend BP/W to people, if they ask. If they don't ask, then no skin off my back.
Good trim is possible in almost any configuration of gear, and equipment shouldn't be used to solve skills problems.
A lot of what goes on on SB strikes me as amusing. There seem to be a LOT of users here who dispense "technical" advice, even though in practice, I don't see a ton of people diving in technical configurations. I think technical gear configurations are used by people of a certain mindset, and I think forums are used by people of a certain mindset, and I think there is considerable overlap between those mindsets.
I reccomend that people buy back inflate bouyancy systems, but I don't tell them what to buy, and I try to avoid pushing my opinions on people.
Another issue entirely is the BS reasons people give for using a BP/W. I like aluminum plates, and if I was traveling, would use kydex or whatnot for even lighter rigs. What do I like about BP/W?
1. I need a hard plate to haul around tanks that weigh over 120# when doubled up.
2. I like that I can change webbing when it gets old. Having torn up BC's before, it's nice to know $10 of webbing=brand new system.
3. I like that I can easily move my D rings around to wherever I want them, and add as many as I want or as few as I want.
4. It's nice to have one backplate that fits me perfectly, that I can use with any of four different wings I own.
5. back inflate systems make good trim a breeze compared to "poodle jacket" BC's, but this is not inherent only to BP/W systems.
That stuff about putting weight on your back instead of your belt...mmm, if you want...but it's not for me. I prefer to put weight in my tanks (by using big steel tanks), because travel is not an issue (weight limits with BP) then, and the system is more flexible. an SS backplate with huge steel doubles=way overweighted. With a light plate, I can easily add weight on a belt if need be, or leave it off if not.
In short, I cannot find very many reasons to NOT use a BP/W. They don't do anything worse than a poodle jacket, except when you are on the surface. This is diving, not bobbing, so surface performance is basically meaningless imho. A diver in the ocean should carry a lift bag and/or huge SMB so they can use those to help change the way they float if they really care. Therefore, I do reccomend BP/W to people, if they ask. If they don't ask, then no skin off my back.
Isn't that always the case? In fact, that's kind of what makes trolling tick. For the record, I don't care either way, I can just empathize with those who took issue with the tone of the OP. These threads are gas for the SB engine.
Welcome to the club!
Dive Rite makes a weight pocket that attaches between the grommets in the v channel of the backplate. It's just a tube that you fill with your own shot but it looks like a simpler solution than the ankle weight.
I don't march into every thread about BCs to hawk backplates.
I DO, however, post on certain threads -- I post on threads where women are looking for BCs that fit, because a backplate and continuous harness solves that problem.
I post on threads where people are trying to sort out buoyancy issues, or minimize weight, because backplates can solve those problems.
I post on threads where people are asking questions about the many misconceptions about back inflate and backplate setups, because no one should make decisions based on bad information.
It is my personal belief (backed by enough experience and information to convince ME, if not you) that a backplate and wing setup is a good setup to dive in almost all conditions for almost all applications, with few downsides. That's probably why I own three of them, and why my husband has two, and why we are buying them for our students.
I DO, however, post on certain threads -- I post on threads where women are looking for BCs that fit, because a backplate and continuous harness solves that problem.
I post on threads where people are trying to sort out buoyancy issues, or minimize weight, because backplates can solve those problems.
I post on threads where people are asking questions about the many misconceptions about back inflate and backplate setups, because no one should make decisions based on bad information.
It is my personal belief (backed by enough experience and information to convince ME, if not you) that a backplate and wing setup is a good setup to dive in almost all conditions for almost all applications, with few downsides. That's probably why I own three of them, and why my husband has two, and why we are buying them for our students.
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